U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,461 issued to Thomas A. Dzurko et al Jan. 11, 1994 discloses a vehicle door latch that has a rotatable fork bolt that is engaged and rotated by a striker in the door jamb of the vehicle when the vehicle door is slammed shut. The fork bolt has two latch shoulders that are engaged by a detent to retain the fork bolt in either a primary or an intermediate secondary latch position depending upon which of the two latch shoulders is engaged by the detent. The detent engages the primary latch shoulder and latches the fork bolt in the primary latch position when the vehicle door is slammed shut with sufficient force. This is the preferred condition. The fork bolt also has an intermediate secondary latch shoulder that is initially engaged by the detent during the latching operation. The secondary lock shoulder latches the fork bolt in an intermediate secondary latched position and holds the vehicle shut in the event that the closure force is too light to engage the primary latch shoulder is not as great as in the preferred primary latch position. The secondary latch position is easily recognized and rectified by opening the vehicle door and reclosing the vehicle door with a greater force.